France cycling trip costs

Cost breakdown – Cycling holiday to France

I thought I'd post a cost breakdown from our 2009 trip to France for Le Tour and L'Etape on suggestion by Liz at Corsica Journeys.

So, the damage from 2009, including airfares, accomodation/car hire (campervan), fuel, tolls, food etc is listed below. All prices are in Australian dollars, convert to your currency at XE.COM. Costs were shared between 2 people. We had an extra 15kg free baggage allowance on Malaysian. If you want a detailed cost breakdown, as well as tips on how to minimise these costs, you need to check out Guide to Cycling through France I wrote.

• Airfare: Malaysian into Frankfurt from Melbourne: $1800 inc tax
• Hotel: N/A – we had a campervan
• Car hire: includes accomodation as it was a campervan – $2800 ($1400 each)
• Meals: $6-8 AU per day breakfast per person (croissants, coffee or cereal), lunch same (baguettes, cheese, tomatoe), dinner up to $40-60 pp eating out (main, beer, dessert), or $5-10 if cooking in campervan
• Fuel: we spent $250 each/$500 total in 18 days, driving about 1600km.
• Tolls: $100 each/$200 total, spent in Tunnel de Frejus, and on the southern and hautes alpes tollways. No tolls in Germany, or Switzerland (we had a Swiss tollways pass in the van, which came free)

More Information on Cycling in France

Like I said, if you want detailed information about how to do this properly and minimise your costs and hassles, you need to check out Guide to Cycling through France I wrote.

The guide is ~75 pages long and contains info on:

• A “Hassle-Free Checklist” for pre-trip planning (from airports to auto hire, baggage and beyond)
• Detailed baggage/excess costs the airlines use when handling your bike (must-have data for most major airlines into the EU)
• The pros and cons of taking your own bike versus hiring (covering cost, convenience, and even how to pack your bike)
• How to save thousands (yes thousands) on mobile and data roaming
• Important things to watch out for when watching the Tour from roadside
• What you must know before participating in L’Etape du Tour (planning, pitfalls, tips, and more)
• Must-have French phrases for making touring around France a breeze
• Tips for finding free wifi (free and unsecured)
• How to avoid surprises with road quality/types, travel times and toll gates
• The smart way to decide between car versus campervan hire
• Weather tips that will keep you happy (and dry!)
• All the best places to base yourself for rides – and where to avoid
• Comprehensive equipment list suggestions – what’s critical, what’s nice-to-have
• Essential contacts, handy web links and more!

You can download a free preview copy here.